


A Knight's Will

by Epyon



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - All Female, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Anime, Betrayal, Cheating, Death, Drama, F/F, Lies, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Some Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-06-29 11:10:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15728202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epyon/pseuds/Epyon
Summary: Uranohoshi was a coastal kingdom ruled by the Kurosawa's. Dia and Ruby were in line to inherit the kingdom. Among the army were 9 girls who were considered the best in Uranohoshi. The two princesses and these 9 commanders have a close relationship. When a mysterious cult and an invading kingdom show up to threaten their home, their bonds will be tested. In war, there will always be losses whether its friends, family, or yourself.





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again. This came up pretty quick, but I wanted to get a chapter or two out to see how things go with this work. This time we're going to the medieval period. Our girls will be knights and princesses. There might be some technological advancements that weren't invented yet that I will probably bring in for ease of writing. This work will have some ideas from Aqours Online and Uranohoshi School of Magic mixed into it, how much is not known yet, but there will be some. This time, I want to have some more drama and make sure that not everything is butterflies and rainbows at the end of conflict. So hopefully, I can deliver on that front. Hope you enjoy this new journey for the girls.

“Yocchan! Wake up!”

“rrrgmmm”

“Wake up now Yocchan!”

Banging can be heard on a door as Yoshiko was sleeping. She stayed up late with some friends despite her girlfriend’s warning. Now she’s overslept and said girlfriend is losing her patience. The loud bangs stopped for a moment as Yoshiko peeks at the door. Then she rolled over under her covers to get a little more sleep. Suddenly the door gets knocked down by a magic blast.

“What the hell Riri! Now I have to fix my door.” Yoshiko jumped up from the sudden blast.

“I told you not to stay up late did I not? We have to be at the front gates to welcome in an important caravan this morning.”

“It’s fine, the others can handle it.”

“No it is not! We are the commanders of this kingdom, so we must be present. Now get up or I’ll make you.”

“zzzzzz.” Yoshiko went back to bed.

“Have it your way.”

Riko pulled the covers off of Yoshiko exposing her in her underwear. Then she pulls Yoshiko off the bed, making her fall onto the floor. As Yoshiko sits up and rubs her head, Riko went to the bathroom. She returned with a bucket of cold water and dumped it on Yoshiko. Yoshiko cursed as the cold water jolts her system awake. To avoid anymore of Riko’s wrath, Yoshiko began to prepare herself, going through the normal morning routine. Riko prepared a quick breakfast and once it was consumed, they began to make their way to the front gate.

They walked out of Yoshiko’s home and walked down the street. Yoshiko and Riko’s home was located near the market sections of the kingdom. Mainly because it’s a few minutes’ walk from the Healer’s Store that Riko’s mom owned. Since it was morning, people were starting to get out of their homes for their morning routines. Some children ran around and one tripped in front of the couple. Riko knelt down to help the child up. The girl thanked Riko and ran to her friends. Some giggles and whispers can be heard as some of the neighbors talked about the couple.

Riko Sakurauchi was the healer among the nine commanders. Before she joined, she ran an apothecary with her mom. Riko learned healing magic and light based magic. Soon she was selected to join the Uranohoshi royal army at 11 as a healer before becoming a fighter. She was known among her subordinates and the town as a nice sweet girl. Someone who cares for all without discrimination. Don't let her kindness fool you, she can be stern too and follows the rules closer than the others. A certain blue haired girl knows this too well. Riko also had many suitors but turned them down. Except there was one girl that caught her attention.

That one girl, who would become her girlfriend, was Yoshiko Tsushima. Yoshiko Tsushima’s mom was a seamstress. Unfortunately Yoshiko didn’t inherit her mom’s skills and was somewhat of a troublemaker, often getting hurt in her ventures. This led them to meet the Sakurauchi’s. Yoshiko heard that Riko was skilled in healing and light magic so Yoshiko wanted to learn magic. She enrolled in an academy that taught knighthood and magic. Yoshiko ended up meeting two of her closest friends at the academy before the three got drafted into the royal army. Yoshiko became a dark knight. She was skilled with both sword and spear along with dark element magic.

Riko remembered Yoshiko joining the royal army as someone who was random and boisterous. She claimed that she would be the top of the class and everyone would be under her. Riko laughed at her as all she remembers of Yoshiko was the girl that would get hurt all the time. Though there was something charming about her confidence. At first the two clashed when they were assigned into the same squad as their personalities were opposites. But it changed into something more intimate as they spent time together on missions (one mission in particular). A bond formed and the two found themselves attached to each other. Much to the disappointment of some girls, the two became a couple. Riko found out that Yoshiko tended to do things at her own pace and had to handle her if she neglects her duties. Part of the girlfriend package she guessed.

Yoshiko and Riko arrived at the front gate. There they met four other girls of their entourage. The first being the naval commander You Watanabe. She isn’t just good out on the sea but on land she’s also just as dangerous. It was only natural for You to become a naval commander as her mother was one before retiring early. She specializes in using daggers and speed for her combat. Can be flashy at times and very confident in her skills out at sea.

The second was You’s girlfriend Chika Takami. Chika was the positive energy of the group. Quick to make friends, easily attracts people to her. Chika was a knight who had an affinity with the shield. She gives her all in defending civilians and if there is a way to help them, then she’ll find it. Her family runs an inn in town. Chika didn’t want to inherit the family business as she thinks her sisters could handle it. So she enrolled in the academy and became a knight.

The third was Mari Ohara. She was originally from an allied kingdom to the north before moving here on a recommendation at a young age. Her archery skills were top notch and Uranohoshi needed more strength on that end. Mari arrived and soon archery became a strong force in the kingdom. It also helped that she brought along a good amount of wealth to help their army. The issue was, Mari was known to be a bit touchy with her subordinates. But soon they got used to it.

The fourth was one of Yoshiko’s close friends. Hanamaru Kunikida, was a sorceress who relies on her books to cast spells. She has a mean appetite to go with her skills. Hanamaru is affectionately referred to as Zuramaru by Yoshiko due to her speech tick, ending her sentences with zura. Hanamaru tends to watch things play out while she thought about the situation, but she’s good at what she does and makes good decisions for her units.

“Rikochi, Yoshikochi, Good Morning~!”

“Morning everyone. Sorry we’re late, Yocchan overslept.”

“No worries. It’s a good thing you two live next door to each other, zura.”

“Yousoro~, Chika-chan just got here too.”

“I did not. I arrived early.”

“You just got here 5 minutes ago.”

“I had to make sure Shiitake got her food. Then I kind of got hungry and stopped by a food stall on the way and stuff.”

“I don’t see why they need the five of us here. I could be sleeping at home.”

“I totally get you Yoshiko-chan. My sisters kept being loud so I couldn’t sleep in.”

“You two are something you know that.”

The six commanders continued their talk about their first assignment of the day. Soon a scout came up and reported that the caravan was arriving. You signaled for the gates to open. The iron gates was pulled up and coming in was a caravan of five carts followed by some soldiers. One in armor with a royal blue sash was leading the group. She wielded a bow on her back and sword on her hip. The six commanders lined up to welcome her and her company.

“Welcome to Uranohoshi. We hope your journey here was a smooth one Umi Sonoda of the Otonokizaka kingdom.”

“It was smooth indeed. A few bandits popped up but nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Please follow us. We’ll take you to the castle, zura”

“It would be much appreciated.”

Riko led the way with the other five spread around the caravan. They got curious looks from the citizens seeing this many commanders together. While others looked in love with Umi with her regal like demeanor and cool looks. They arrived in front of the castle, went pass the gatehouse, and through the front courtyard. Umi instructed her knights to leave the supplies outside while she meets with the rulers. The group along with Umi went into the throne room and met another of the commanders and the princesses.

Kanan was the second of Yoshiko’s close friends as they took the same classes together despite Kanan being two years older. Kanan joined late but quickly picked up her lessons and became a force. So much that Dia Kurosawa picked her to be a personal guard. Kanan also learned naval combat in her free time, thinking it would help You out if things get crazy. When the queen died, Kanan took it upon herself to protect the Kurosawa sisters even more. She's a relaxed individual, but when its time to get serious, Kanan is not someone you want to be in the way of.

“Hello your highnesses. I come here today to bring you the promised supplies to help support your town. Please forgive the delay as we had an issue with a nearby kingdom.” Umi bowed gracefully as she spoke.

“That is not a problem Umi Sonoda. We requested your aid so it would be rude for us to make you rush over here when you have problems yourself.” Dia spoke.

“Thank you for your kindness. As promised, we brought over materials and emergency provisions.”

“Thank you.”

“Onee-chan, should we ask her?”

“Hmmm.”

“Is there a problem your highnesses?”

“I know you just helped us, but there seems to be a new problem.”

“Which is?”

“The Kiyozaki kingdom to the south have been making moves to take us down. We were wondering if the Otonokizaka kingdom could provide us some soldiers to help for a while until we figure out the situation.”

“That, unfortunately cannot be helped right now. We’re currently recovering from out latest battles. We are also gearing up to defend against an invasion, so sending soldiers over will only weaken our forces. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. We only wanted to ask. Please, enjoy some time in our town before you make your return.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, we’ll take a short break then make our way home.”

Umi excused herself as she and her company went to a nearby tavern for some R&R. Yoshiko and Chika went to complain about why they were even needed if it was going to end so quickly. Dia understood that Yoshiko and Chika preferred not to be here for something trivially short but it was a formality as Umi is one of the strongest in all the lands. Despite still being young, she’s practically a legend even though she doesn’t act like it. Add the fact that Umi’s words carry weight, being one of Queen Tsubasa’s most trusted commanders. So, if Umi decides it’s not worth their time then Uranohoshi could be left with one less ally without much of a protest. Mari went to talk to Kanan, Hanamaru with Ruby, while Riko and Yo tried to calm their respective girlfriends down.

“Hi~.”

“Hello Mari, how’s your morning?”

“Pretty good. I’d rather be out in the market district but it’s a mission by Dia so I can’t refuse.”

“I know what you mean. I had to get up extra early to make sure everything here was set for Umi’s arrival.”

“Hey, if you have time this afternoon how about we..”

“Sorry, it looks like Dia needs me. I’ll catch you later.”

“Ah, um yeah…..I’ll…see you.” Mari watched as Kanan went to Dia. Another day, another failed attempt to get Kanan to go on a date with her. Mari sighed and gave a reluctant smile when Kanan and Dia waved at her.

A messenger soon arrived with a message from one of the scout ships. She said that there was enemy ships crossing over to their territory. The captains are waiting to see if the intruders will turn back but battle seems imminent. Dia told You and Kanan to go handle it. Kanan gave a smile to Dia and she returned it before whispering for Kanan to come back safe. Chika gave You a hug before she left.

Ruby instructed the Hanamaru, Yoshiko, Riko, Chika and Mari on their duties for the day. Pretty much the usual patrols and checks. Yoshiko and Hanamaru were told to head to the small town of Tozu to the north to make sure their guards there are well stocked and to look into a strange report about someone. They made their way to the stables to get their horses and began to make their way to Tozu.

“Looks like it won’t be a boring day.”

“Wonder what we’re supposed to look for?”

“Ruby said we’ll get filled in when we get there. Hope those girls aren’t slacking on their jobs.”

“That’s rich coming from you who sleep in all the time, zura.”

 “Sh-shut up. I’m recharging for the day.”

“Sure~.”

“I’m serious, I work hard so I need to recharge.”


	2. Strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages:  
> 1st Years: 18  
> 2nd Years: 19  
> 3rd Years: 20

The Ichiru sea was a massive sea. There are a number of towns that were built around it with some rivers that flow into it. The fishing section of Uranohoshi was one of those towns. Though it is a few minutes’ walk away from the main part of the kingdom, its still part of Uranohoshi. The defenses and fortifications isn’t the same as the main parts of the kingdom, but its still good as fishing is a main part of their economy and protecting it is a must. What also helps is the fact that the naval division of the royal army is located near the port.

You and Kanan were on the Ichiru Sea. You was aboard her ship, the Ash Maiden with a anchor and cap motif. Kanan was aboard hers, the Aqualight with a dolphin and water drop motif. Their ships sailed pass the others and to the front of the lines. They stared across the sea to their enemies in a line. Ten ships in total. You had a confused look on her face and looked to Kanan who just shrugged.

“Are they serious?”

“I don’t know.”

“They’re attacking us in our territory of the sea with only 10 ships.”

“I wouldn’t really call it an attack. Unless they’re packing on those 10.”

“Two of those are just caravels. They’ll sink in no time flat.”

“Unless they got skilled helmswomen on board.”

“Huh…guess we’ll stay cautious just in case. We should be able to make it out of this with minimal damage. All right! Sail ahead and sink all enemy ships! If they strike their flags then board and plunder all resources!”

“HOOOOOHHHH!!”

The other ship captains barked orders for their crew. All sails were raised and the squadron of ships sailed forward. Two ships took point with two more slightly back and wider to the side. The Ash Maiden and Aqualight are behind and the rest are either beside or in a line behind them. Waves crashed against the hull, wind blew with the sails, captains barking, and horns blowing.  Mages used wind spells to provide their momentum. Archers were at the ready and are waiting to get in range before they drew their bows.

The enemy ships have dropped their jolly rogers and revealed to be a group from a kingdom on the other side of the sea. They are from the Taizawa Kingdom. This kingdom didn’t cause problems much in particular, but they are known to attack randomly against their oppositions. Kanan gave a nod to You before her ship and a few more broke from formation and drifted left a bit.

You was still trying to wrap her head around why the Taizawa Kingdom was attacking. They aren’t that much of a threat to Uranohoshi and with this number of ships, there’s no way they should expect to win. Her thought gets interrupted by her quartermaster. She informed You that they are almost in range and they’re awaiting commands.

“Archers, ready! We get the first strike in. Have your shields at the ready for cover! Mages, begin casting your spells!”

“YAAAAAHHH!”

Archers drew their bows and aimed at the closest ship. The defenders near You, her helmswoman, and navigator got their shields ready. The two mages were in the back casting their spells. Slowly the ships closed in and once in range the rain of arrows begin to fall.

Arrows pierced into the deck and sides of the enemy ship. Mages shot fireballs at one another, effectively canceling each other out. After You’s crew fired their rounds. Their support came from behind and more arrows came down on the enemy ship. Several archers were hit and either died or were injured, effectively lowering their firepower.

When their opening arrived, the enemy fire a flurry of arrows back. “COVER!!!” The crew got their shields out and block the incoming arrows. Some arrows managed to hit a few feet and some archers guards were temporarily down. Fellow crewmates moved over to shield their downed allies.

“Enemy at starside!”

You looks to the right and see one ship ready to ram into them. Its picking up speed and You thought up a quick counter to it.

“Drop the oars! Hard turn to port!”

At the bottom deck, oars slipped out and into the water. They began to row, the helmswomen turned the tillar to star, and a mage gave a slight breeze of wind. The ship turned to its left with the enemy ship closing in.

“Ready the ballistae!”

Some knights got on the ballistae and loaded their arrows. The Ash Maiden turned to the left and would eventually hit an enemy ship. It’s almost perpendicular to the first ship as the ramming ship closes in. The ramming ship tries to turn to the right in time but was too late and rams into their own ally. The rammed ship cracked in half a little from impact and the enemy knights tumbled over. The mages cast fireballs onto the first ship and set it ablaze to finish it. The ballistae fire and the bolts latched onto the ship with rope. The lines were tightened to keep the ship in place.

“Board the enemy ship! If their captain falls then it’s our victory!”

“HRAAAAHHHHH!”

With a loud roar, You’s crew began to board the enemy ship. Planks were placed for crossing over. Some swung in with rope and other used the rope line from the ballistae. You swung over from her perch and lands on an enemy before stabbing her in the chest. More and more of her crew began to pour over and clashed blades with the enemy. Fellow ships began to circle around the Ash Maiden to protect it while the boarding happens.

Kanan had the two caravels sailing around her ship and others. She tracks their movements to gauge their movement patterns. The small ships had good speed, but a few hits or one good hit would sink it quickly. Kanan ordered the positions of her allies to change and shift to slow down the two caravels.

A ship got in front of one caravel and it turned and slipped between two others. It then fired some fire arrows to the stern. The fire began to spread a bit but the crew poured water over it before it could get worse. More enemy ships were approaching and Kanan knew she needs to take out the two caravels now. She ordered two ships from the rear and moved them across another ship of their own. A caravel turned to avoid one and ran into the second one. Its movement stopped and a fireball destroys it. The second caravel saw an opening in the back of the formation and went to it. It turned to get behind and ended up getting hit with a ballista, destroying its mast. The next shot sinks it.

“More are approaching Commander!”

“No need to panic, get ready to fire! We have the advantage.”

You clashed blades against the firstmate of the enemy. Her daggers parry away the sword slashes from the enemy. She tries to go in for a killing blow, but the firstmate ducks and rolls away a couple of times. They stood in a lock with one waiting for the other to move. You hopped around with her daggers up and feints a lunge. The firstmate reacts and guards low. You strikes her left dagger into the wrist to disable her and then her right dagger into the shoulder. The firstmate cries in pain and falls to her knees. You then slashes her across the throat to finish her off.

You gets up and looks over the railing to see a arrow fly past her head. She sees an enemy ship before it gets blown up by a fireball. With a sigh of relief, You salutes her allies and looks across the deck of the ship. She sees the captain of the ship fending off some of her crewmates. You tosses her dagger in the air and catches it. It begins to howl and she throws it at the captain. The blade zips through the air and between two of her crewmates. The dagger hits the captain in the chest and cuts begin to form around the hit point as some wind slashes came from contact. The captain falls to the ground, signaling the ship is now seized.

A horn could be heard from the distance as two ships began to retreat. Kanan ordered the mages to launch fireballs at them. After a few seconds a couple fireballs were shot out and hits the sterns of both ships. It creates a hole in the backside and the ships began to take in water before they began to sink. A final few fireballs were shot to ensure the kill.

You’s crew rounded up the survivors and tied them up. Some searched through the ship and found some gold and other resources they can bring back. The Aqualight pulled up and Kanan hopped over to see You. She slaps You on the back and laughed.

“Wasn’t that bad eh? Not much damage on our end and they were all wiped out.”

“Yousoro~! Didn’t think I would actually board one of their ships but I figured I needed the exercise.”

“Why not join me for some exercise then once we get back.”

“Hahahah! No thanks, I’ll join Chika on her patrol.”

“You mean some lovey dovey time?”

“Shut up. We don’t do that stuff on patrols.”

“Whatever you say~. Don’t know why they attacked but whatever. Let’s head back now, wouldn’t want to make you late for your date.”

“Huuuuu! Commander’s gonna go on a date.”

“Go get your mikan. Rawwr.”

“All of you shut it or I’m making you clean all the ships we have at dock.”

**Tozu:**

Yoshiko and Hanamaru rode their horses to Tozu. The road was fairly quaint. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, some travelers passed by, some deer ran by, and other wildlife things. Yoshiko took in a deep breath of air and let it out.

“Quite peaceful isn’t it?”

“Zuuuraaaaa. It is. So relaxing.”

Their moments of peace ended once they arrived in Tozu. From the entrance, theu made their way to a nearby stable to drop off their horses. Then they walked to the knight’s station just down the street to check up on them. The knights turned to the door when they saw it open and were happy to see Yoshiko and Hanamaru.

“Ah, Commander Tsushima and Kunikida! Morning!”

“Morning, you all seem to be having a good time here.” Yoshiko said with a smirk.

“I thought something strange happened, zura.”

“Oh, sorry, its just… Lucy over there adopted a new dog and was telling us about her.”

“That makes three for you now don’t it?”

“Yes ma’am. I couldn’t just leave her alone like that on the streets.”

“Interesting, but onto business. Did you all look into the report?”

“We did and, well, I think it would be best if you saw it for yourselves.”

“Guess we should go look then, zura.”

“It’s over by the western clothing store. We have two guards there.”

“C’mon Zuramaru, lets finish this up quick.”

The two commanders walked to the west side of town. Passing by a few stores, Hanamaru found a bookstore and went to look around a bit for anything interesting. Yoshiko sighed in agitation and told Hanamaru to hurry up. They spent a couple of minutes there until Hanamaru decided that there wasn’t anything she wanted, which garnered a groan from Yoshiko. Then Hanamaru saw a food stall with some meat buns and went to get some. Yoshiko smacked her forehead in disbelief.

Hanamaru returned with two buns and offered one to Yoshiko. It smelled good. Yoshiko said no and resisted. Once one was bitten into and the smell came out and Yoshiko began to drool. Hanamaru saw Yoshiko and tucked the second one away. Eventually Yoshiko cracked and asked for the meat bun and with a giggle, Hanamaru handed it over. The two sat down on a nearby bench and enjoyed their food. Unbeknownst to them, two figures with purplish hair approached them as they were eating.

“Well well, aren’t you two supposed to be on duty?”

“U-unbelievable, just eating on the job like that.”

“Sarah! Leah! It’s not what it looks like, w-we were just taking a break. I told Zuramaru not to eat whilst on duty.”

“Why do you have some crumbs on your lips then?”

“Hello, zura. These are good. Do you two want some?”

“W-why should we. We don’t slack on the job.”

Sarah and Leah Kazuno appeared in front of Yoshiko and Hanamaru. Both with their arms crossed and Leah tapping her foot and one eyebrow scrunched down.

The Kazunos are the last two of the nine commanders. They are primarily scouts and spies for the Uranohoshi Kingdom. So they are typically the ones who end up leaving the kingdom the most. They came from the same northern kingdom as Mari, though it was more like they stowed away in a caravan because they wanted to see someplace different from their home. They didn’t think that far ahead when they arrived in Uranohoshi and had to find a way to survive with no money. They were caught trying to break into a storage house of food, but were pardoned as they were just children. A commander at the time decided to take them in and train them instead of leaving them on the streets of a foreign land to fend for themselves.

Hanamaru finished eating and Yoshiko quickly scarfed down hers. The four girls greeted each other and Sarah told them what her and Leah were doing. Then Sarah asked Yoshiko and Hanamaru what business they had here in Tozu to which Hanamaru informed them. Intrigued by the report, they decided to tag along and went to the house in question.

Arriving at the scene, the four approached the front door of the house. The two guards there greeted their superiors and let them into the home. It looked relatively normal. Nothing seemed out of place and no damages. Tables, drawers, chairs, shelves; everything looked fine. Leah and Hanamaru went upstairs to investigate. Leah scratched her head as they had the same result. There was nothing wrong with any of the rooms upstairs. Yoshiko and Sarah looked through the first floor and saw a bloody door near the back. They went in to see blood scattered across the room, some slash marks, and some broken furniture. Sarah let an astonished whistle sound at their discovery.

“Well, what do we have here?”

“Looks like something out of a mystery book. Damn, that’s a lot of blood.”

They looked around carefully and soon Hanamaru and Leah joined in. There were clear signs of a struggle. But there were no marks to indicate a body being moved. The blood splatter was from the fight. Markings across the wall show a sharp object was used. If the culprit had to hide the bodies, there should be clear signs of drag marks on the floor. So, where did the body go if there were no signs of movement? Sarah stood with her hand on her chin to think about the possibilities. Yoshiko felt around on the walls for anything strange. Hanamaru walked to a corner and looked behind a shelf and found nothing. She walked back and tripped, getting the attention of the others. After a quick apology, Hanamaru got up and brushed herself off. Leah saw something under Hanamaru and told her to move.

She felt around on the ground and found something strange with one of the floorboards. She pushed it down and it went down. She let go and nothing happened.”Hmmmmm” Leah pressed it down again and tried shaking it. The board slid up and a secret door opened to a lower ground. An “ooohhh” can be heard from Hanamaru as she looked down the tunnel. The four went down the stairs into the secret room.

“Woooaaah. So that’s how they moved the body, zura.”

“Watch your step and keep your guard up. We don’t know what mi…. what the fuck?”

“Ugh, that stench!”

“Damn. Whatever it is, we’re heading in the right direction.”

“Zuraaaaghhh.”

A strong stench hits their noses once they got to a certain point. It reeked like death and only got worse the deeper they went. They all pulled up their shirts to over their noses. Soon, they reached the bottom of the stairs and walked to a door. When they opened it, the missing bodies were there. They weren’t just there though. One was strung up like meat, one was dismembered, and the third was laying on a table with her stomach cut open.

There were some candles lit and some weird writing on the walls. Sarah looked at the body on the table and saw a patch in the stomach. She twisted her face in disgust, as she carefully removed it. Sarah flipped the patch around to see if anything was on it and found a symbol of a winged serpent. Yoshiko and Hanamaru looked at the one that was hanged while avoiding having blood drip on them. But there wasn’t anything on it to give them any new info. The dismembered one didn’t give much either when Leah examined it. After looking around, the four hurriedly made their way back up to talk in a place that had a more pleasant smell.

“What the actual hell happened here?”

“I don’t know, but I found this patch.”

“What could it mean nee-sama?”

“Hanamaru-chan, have you seen this symbol before?”

“Let’s see….. I don’t think so, zura. But, going off of what we saw down there, maybe it’s some sort of cult?”

“The forces of darkness seem to have been involved. What demon could these fools believe in to make them do that?”

“I don’t know, but we should check this out some more before it becomes something serious. Matilda!” A scout jumped down from the roof of a nearby home and walked into the house. Sh knelt down in front of Sarah with her right arm across her chest.

“How may I be of service Commander Sarah?”

“You and your squad investigate the scene down in the secret room we found and see if there's anything connecting it to other strange reports around here.”

"As you command."

They all walked out of the home and Sarah pointed to the guards. “You two, make sure nobody gets in this house that’s not supposed to be here. Report if any strange people are hanging around or try to get close. Understand?”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”


	3. Night Troubles

**At a port town of the Kiyozaki Kingdom:**

“Those fools from the Taizawa Kingdom didn’t put as much as a dent in Uranohoshi.”

“Easy Samantha, we didn’t expect much from them anyways. They just agreed to attack when we showed them gold, so no harm done on our side.

“It’s fine. They’ll think it was just a random attack from Taizawa and that’s just a normal thing with them. We continue with our plans and we’ll crack their defenses sooner or later.”

“The Queen will be pleased with our progress.”

“Yes, but she’ll be happier if we can crack through quicker.”

“We can’t just barge into their territory. The Queen will be most displeased if we did.”

“Hold on, I forgot this but didn’t we have……”

**Uranohoshi:**

Yoshiko, Hanamaru, Sarah, and Leah returned to Uranohoshi in the evening and reported what they discovered. The ordeal was certainly a mystery and the others didn’t have a clue as to what was going on there. Dia dismissed the incident for now and will deal with it when Matilda and her team report on their findings. She instructed them to be ready when the time comes to act.

The next day was a rather uneventful one. Riko was on training duty in the morning and scolded her units for showing up late. She went through her paces in informing them why it’s important to be punctual and be there for training. It earned some eye rolls and groans from some of her knights. In return, Riko smacked a couple of them in the head with her staff, planting them into the ground. That was enough to get everyone else’s attention and energized them for the training.

You had the usual sea patrols. As long as people aren’t crossing into other people’s territory, then no issues occur. On those slow days, it’s usually either hearing the sound of the sea or shanties sung by the crew.

“Commander, um, it looks like nothing exciting is gonna happen.” The quartermaster said.

“Yeah, I can tell.”

“Maybe we should find something to do. Singing can only carry us so far.” The helmswoman added.

“Yeah, and some of the crew are sleeping on the deck. Look.”

“What the! Hey! Get your asses up!”

“Awwww, a short nap won’t hurt.”

“And its boring. Think of something Commander~.” The crew whined.

“Okay okay, just give me a minute. There’s gotta be something we can do to pass the time.”

Chika and Leah had their town patrols. Any odd jobs they could do, they would help out. The greetings from the residents and fellow knights, the smell of food, the bustling sounds of a busy day, the neighs of horses, the rocking of boxes on carts; just a regular patrol day.

“Ah, let me help you there... Hey, I’ll carry that for you... The closest general store is to the right, pass the mini flower beds... Do y’all help with that?”

“Hey, Chika-chan?”

“Yes?”

“Do you really have to stop and help with every little thing?”

“Of course! As commanders, we have to do what we can for the citizens. Every little bit helps.”

“But there are other knights walking around so..”

“Every little bit helps!”

“But.”

“Helps!”

“Alright, I understand. Just get your face away from mine, it’s uncomfortable.”

“Sorry. Where’s Sarah-chan by the way?”

“Nee-sama is at the fishing section to make sure the fish are properly stored for trade.”

“Oh~.”

“Since we live near the sea, we have an advantage in trade with seafood. Plenty of merchants from inland towns, villages, and kingdom travel here or to other sea places to trade for seafood to bring back home. We also send merchant to them to sell our fish. Which is why it’s important to make sure they are properly stored otherwise they will expire real quickly.”

“That makes sense.”

“While places like Otonokizaka, who have massive plains, have all the farmland they need to produce all kinds of food. They’re also much larger as a kingdom compared to ours, so the extra land helps keep their citizenry fed.”

“Our farms make enough for us doesn’t it?”

“They do, but it helps to have trading partners so we don’t overwork our farmers should we be short on anything.”

Hanamaru was in the library helping out. With a new shipment of books arriving, the staff needed help organizing them. Hanamaru loves seeing what new books were bought and would skim through their book selections to see if she could recommend any to get.  She’s basically in the town library or the royal library if you can’t find her anywhere in town. So much so, that they even have a personalized booth for only Hanamaru to use.

“Where should I put these books?”

“Section 4, Shelves 2 and 3, zura.”

“Here’s the new shipment Kunikida-san.”

“Thanks, just put them at the table over there.”

“We’re missing Li Bai Anthology 4 and 6.”

“They’re over here, zura.”

“Thank you for helping the library out so much Commander Kunikida.”

“No worries, zura. I love books so it’s only natural.”

"Are you going to stay past closing again?"

"Probably."

Yoshiko and Kanan had to guard the castle, specifically in the throne room. It wasn’t anything special. Kanan does this on an almost regular basis, so she’s used to it. While Yoshiko gets bored and wonders around from her post. All that really happens are nobles coming in to earn some favor, citizens talking about some of their concerns, some come in to report a possible crime, reps from other towns and villages talking about possible trade deals, etc.

“Why can’t some of these people just voice their troubles to one of the Knight’s Stations?”

“Maybe they want Dia and Ruby to establish more rules or something to reduce the problems.”

“That’s what the stations are for.”

“Yes, but having the princesses be aware of it could garner for change.”

“Uuuggh, I still don’t know how you deal with this every day.”

“I don’t guard them every day. I go out and patrol sometimes.”

“Yeah, and sometimes it’s with Dia in toll. Being together with the future queen must be tough.”

“Eh, it’s nothing difficult. Plus I like being with Dia.”

“Whatever.”

Dia and Ruby handles them all with so much grace Yoshiko thought when she watches them work. No matter what the issue is, they’ll find a way to make sure a positive outcome comes out of it. Dia handles things from a business like, big picture kind of angle. Ruby takes care of it from a more personal angle. With the two, it seems like all perspectives can be covered so the best solution will arrive. Of course Dia knows if a bad deal is in place and takes control when it gets into a debate over details. Ruby usually doesn’t handle that stuff and just listens. She will of course add in what the effects to the people will be should she feel something is off with the deal. The most important goal is to make sure the people of the Uranohoshi Kingdom can benefit from whatever deals take place. That’s why Yoshiko, Kanan, the other seven commanders, and all the knights in service are glad to protect their kingdom. Their rulers are fair and always try to get the best outcome for the people.

“Hey, Yoshiko.”

“What?”

“Why don’t we play a game.”

“What kind?”

“We’ll guess what each guest is here for.”

“Hah?”

“Come on, you’re bored right?”

“Yeah, but it’s always the usual stuff so what’s there to guess?”

“Infidelity.”

“Pardon?”

“The lady dragging the other lady in is gonna voice out her discovery of her partners infidelity.”

“Looks like.”

“….”

“….”

“….”

“Merchant from out of town. Trying to sell some ore maybe. Looks like she’s from the mountains.”

The day turned into evening and the night shift guards are beginning to take over. In terms of patrols, there will be the ones for the morning and afternoon. Then there will be ones for the evening and night. Normally, there are a good number of those who want night shifts. If there are any changes, then it will be announced ahead of time so the knights involved can prepare themselves with the change in schedule. Every now and then a commander will have night patrol and tonight, it was Mari’s turn.

She walked down the streets in the market square, her favorite area. The stores were beginning to close for the night. Some restaurants were closing while others stayed open for a while longer. Pubs were always open until midnight, so there will always be people out and about. The fire lamps began to turn on to provide lights throughout the town. There was always something pleasing to the eye, seeing Uranohoshi at night to Mari. She enjoyed the peace it brought to her. Knowing everyone is returning home for the night to spend time with their family before going to sleep. The few cats exploring at night. The stars in the sky. The cooler evening air. It truly brought peace to Mari.

Mari’s patrol sent her to the southwestern part of town, which was primarily a residential area. “Let’s see, if I’m not mistaken, some of my subordinates should be stationed here for tonight….Ho~h?” Mari looks up to see a light in a guard room in a tower by the gate. “Bingo~” Mari smiled decided to go pay them a visit. She walked up the stairwell and peeked into the room to see three at a table and a fourth looking out an oriel window.

“Ciao~, how are you lovely ladies doing?”

“Commander Mari~! We’re doing great this evening. Come come, join us.”

“What are y’all doing?”

“Just having a few drinks, telling some stories.”

“If only Cindy over there would join us.”

“One of us has to keep watch thank you very much.”

“The archers up top have it covered. Don’t worry.”

“Now now, she might be taking in the view of nature at night.”

“Hah! If she wants a nice view, then there’s plenty to look at over here, am I right?”

“Oh~ yes~, there’s something nice and soft to feel too if you need to relieve some stress.”

“Hahahaha, hiiiii! Co-commander, wait.”

“You’ve really grown some Haru.”

 “Mmnnn!”

“Oh no~, the commander is at it again.”

“Quick, get away or she’ll get you. Heheheh!”

“Uggh, can’t I get assigned to someone else’s squad.”

“You say that, but do you really want to be scolded by Commander Riko?”

“Yeah! Or be stuck in a library with Commander Hanamaru? Or a ship with Commander You?”

“Commanders Sarah and Leah are usually away and hard to find sometimes.”

“Maybe you want to be with Yoshikochi. She usually has a more lax atmosphere with her squads. Chikachi will probably make you do various jobs to help people.”

“Better than having you surprise grab our boobs.”

“Oh~? Then maybe I should change my target then.”

“Wait…I’m sorry….please don’t…”

“Run Cindy.”

“Aaaaahhhh! I’m sorry Commander.”

“Lock On~!”

Yoshiko meanwhile, made her way back home for the evening after castle guard duty. Her exhaustion came from the boredom she experienced. She had to remember to buy Kanan a drink for trying to help keep her entertained for the day. It helped a bit, but still, Yoshiko would’ve preferred something with more action.

A loud noise approached her as she turned the corner. She was greeted by a bunch of You’s subordinates, who were in a jolly mood for some reason. They were singing and dancing around. When they saw Yoshiko, they had to invite her to join.

“Commander! Come join us for the night!”

“Uhh yeah, how about you all go enjoy yourselves, I want to get home.”

“Awww, don’t be a party wrecker. We just wiped out those Taizawa knights yesterday. So we should celebrate a near perfect victory.”

“Yeah, we’re going out for some drinks. Just a few wouldn’t hurt.”

“Come ooooooonnnnnn.”

“I-I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

Why not? Yoshiko thought she could use a few drinks after today. A few drinks with some friends couldn’t hurt. The group escorted Yoshiko back the way she came and took a few turns. They chatted all the way to their destination and Yoshiko was distracted enough to just realize where they took it. Some beads of sweat rolled down her face and her eye twitched when she saw the sign.

“Hey, I thought we were going for some drinks?”

“We are.”

“Then why are we here?”

“Silly, this brothel here also serves drinks. Now come on, we got some fun waiting for us.”

“Sorry, but you all do know I have someone right?”

“Of course, but you’re just here for drinks, so no harm.”

“No no no, just going in will cause me some problems.”

“We’ll just tell the girls to stay away from you, while you hang out at the bar. Let’s go everyone!”

“Yousoro~!”

“Yousono~!”

Despite Yoshiko’s attempts, they pull her into the brothel. A nice perfume whiffed through the air as the entourage approached the front desk. They told their party size and found some seats to relax on. Yoshiko just stood there trying to get out of it, but one person latched onto her arm to keep her in place. She tried to wrangle free and run away, but another came over to prevent that. The two knights pull Yoshiko over to the others and sat down. Then some prostitutes came out and approached the group, adding more to Yoshiko’s nerves. A few of the girls recognized Yoshiko as a commander and seductively approached her, hoping to score big.

“Oh~, the big strong commander is here.”

“I-I’m not that strong. Um may…”

“My my~, are you here to put some discipline in us?”

“What? No not….”

“Or have you been a naughty superior and need some punishment?”

“For a commander we can give some extra special service, just for you.”

“I-I-I, ummm..” Yoshiko looked around frantically. “I-I I’m going to the bar!”

Yoshiko gets up and bolts to the bar and ordered a drink. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking a bit. The bartender noticed the distress Yoshiko was in and quickly put together a drink and offered a small snack. Once Yoshiko had something to eat and a couple of sips of her drink, she relaxed a bit. Taking a deep breath, Yoshiko finally calmed down and thanked the bartender.

She looks over to the cause of her stress and sees that they were enjoying themselves. Yoshiko just shook her head and ordered another drink. Some time passed by and things began to heat up on the other side as some of the knights were ready to take it all the way. Clothes began to fly off and intimate contact was being made. Some were being escorted to private rooms and Yoshiko is not hanging around for them to finish. Yoshiko leaves a good tip and rushes out the brothel. She runs out and has her hands on her knees. A sigh of relief came out and Yoshiko looked to the night sky. How did I get dragged into this, she wondered. After gathering herself and stretching for a bit, Yoshiko was ready to go home. She turns around and sees someone she didn’t want to see. She stiffened up and her mouth dropped.

“So, care to explain?”

Riko stood a couple of yards from Yoshiko, with her arms crossed and an angry look. Her finger was tapping on her arm as she waited for Yoshiko’s explanation.

“Riri!....Well….you see….. they were…they were…umm”

“They?”

“Celebrating a victory…. and..and wanted to get some drinks.”

“Drinks at a brothel.”

“There’s a bar there.” Yoshiko points to the brothel as if it wasn’t obvious it was there.

“I don’t care if there’s a bar in there or not. But, drinks at a brothel and not a pub?”

“That’s what I sa-aid. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just sat at the bar and drank.”

“Really now?”

“Yes yes, you can ask them. I made no physical contact with any of the prostitutes. Nope. None.”

“Hmph, I’m going home.”

“Wait, Riri! It’s true. I didn’t do anything in there.”

Yoshiko ran in front of Riko and begged for Riko to believe her. She continues to walk backwards, her hands clasped together, trying to get Riko to even speak. Riko walks pass her and Yoshiko runs up for a back hug. She wouldn’t let go and locked Riko in place. Riko tried to nudge free but to no effect.

“Yocchan. Let go.”

“I’m not letting go until you forgive me.”

“You went into a brothel.”

“I know and I’m sorry. But I really tried to tell them no. They just ganged up and dragged me along. I should’ve just walked away when I can, but I didn’t because I just wanted a drink and that’s all I did. I just got a few drinks. I didn’t do anything unfaithful to you. Please, believe me and forgive me.”

“……haaaah. Okay, I forgive you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I just smell alcohol on you and not any perfume or whatever they have on in there. Now let go silly, so we can go home. I’ll be sure to talk to them next time I see them.”

“Uh, maybe go easy on them? They were just trying to celebrate.”

“We’ll see.”

At the keep in Dia’s room, Dia laid in slumber. She had just finish up looking over some official documents and decided to let them sit for the night before making a final decision. The exhaustion must’ve been more than she had expected because the moment she laid down, she fell asleep. It didn’t take long for her to begin tossing and turning. A nightmare she’s been having popped up in her mind. She’s had them a couple of times these last few months. She mumbles and grimaces in anguish.

_“Dia~. Dia! You should know that you are nothing more than a tool. That’s all you are and that’s all you will ever be, a tool. A false queen.”_


	4. Tool

**14 years ago:**

They say the moment Dia was born, she was destined to rule. She was what you could call the perfect child. When she began to walk was when she began to be taught how to be a ruler. Everything that was thrown at her, she was able to learn and master. Of course, being in a controlled environment, she wouldn’t experience much friction compared to if she was holding talks with other kingdoms or towns or citizens. Either way, Dia passed all tests she was giving.

It made Dia proud to know she aced everything and she enjoyed showing her mothers her progress. What made her even happier was when Ruby was born. Though she was only two years old, they said Dia had a smile that can shine light to the world. Seeing Ruby begin to grow made Dia all the more determined to ace everything. To not only be a model older sister, but also be able to rule Uranohoshi together. That was until a heart breaking truth was revealed to her when she was seven.

“Mama, mama, look! I moved up a class in my combat training.”

“How nice dear! I’m so proud to have you as a daughter.”

“Heheh! Now I can protect Ruby if anybody tries to hurt her.”

“That’s right dear. Ruby is most precious and should be protected.”

“Yeah! Once Ruby begins her training, then we can be great rulers together as sisters.”

“Yeeees, rule together. Dia, there is something I need to tell. I think it’s the right time to tell you.” Her voice became serious and cold.

“What is it mama?”

“You see, this was something that I and your other mother decided before she died. It involves the future of our kingdom.”

“Our future?”

“Dia, the future is with Ruby. You will not inherit the throne as ruler of Uranohoshi.”

“Wh-what?”

“Dia, you won’t be Queen. You will be a tool. A tool for Ruby to use.” The way she spoke to Dia was like Dia wasn't a person in her eyes anymore.

“What are you saying mama?”

“This is your role Dia. You are a mere tool to help Ruby. She’ll inherit the throne when ready and until then you’ll be there with her. You’ll help make decisions for the kingdom to create an illusion that you are also the ruler. So much so, that our enemies will think you are the Queen. In reality, you are there to ensure Ruby’s spot on the throne. You will protect Ruby. Ruby can make friends and close friends, but nothing more. If she needs a protector, then that will be your job and whoever else you think is worthy. If Ruby needs an advisor, then that’s your job. If Ruby needs a chair and there aren’t any then you will be her chair. If Ruby needs a step then you will be her step. If Ruby needs a lover then you will be her lover. If something drastic happens to where Ruby is to die, then you die in her place.”

“Bu-but, but, Mama?”

“You are a tool Dia.”

“But, everything I’ve done.”

“Was to get you ready for your role. Ruby’s hands will not be dirtied. Yours? Well, yours will be dirtied however much is needed. All to ensure Ruby continues our rule over Uranohoshi and the towns and villages that make up our land.”

“N-no, I-I, I want to…”

“Nothing, all you want is for Ruby to become Queen and you will do what’s needed to keep it that way. Now that you know, here’s something for your first job as Ruby’s tool.”

“What’s this?”

“Poison. This girl and her family are getting too close to our Ruby. Their name begins with K or something. Poison them. I’ll have someone come over for clean up once you report the deed is done.”

“….n-noo..Ma..”

"Get it done. Or you'll be disposed of."

"w-nu-uug...."

With that, Dia’s mom walked away with Dia standing there, shell shocked at the revelations she just heard. She just stared into the vial of poison, trying to process everything her mom told her. Tears began to form and she tried her best to hold them back. Her legs begin to tremble and sniffles can be heard before she just dropped to the ground and wept. _‘A tool? What have I been doing?’_ Dia begins to curl up her mind replaying what her mom said to her. _‘Tool. Tool. I’m a tool. I’m no queen. I’m a tool. Tool. Tool. Tool.’_

_‘I’m queen. I worked hard. It was…it was…a lie. Mama lied. Yeah, she’s just testing me. Hahahaha………..tool….tool…I’m no tool….I’m a tool….I’m no tool…..I’m a tool. Lies! It’s all lies! Ruby and me….together….rule….Ruby…rule....Ruby….Ruby...Ruby....Ruby!!’_

Something snapped in her mind and she stopped crying. She got up and pocketed the poison vial. Slowly she made her way to Ruby’s room. Her eyes were dead; a crazed smile crept on her face. _’Ruby’_ Dia opened the door slowly to see Ruby was asleep. She made her way to the bed. Slowly and quietly, step by step, Dia got closer, her mind repeating the same things over and over again. _‘Ruby. Ruby. Ruuuubyyyyy’_ Dia made her way into the bed and was above Ruby. Dia grabbed the poison vial and placed her other hand around Ruby’s mouth. She moved her hand to Ruby’s neck and was ready to squeeze. _‘Ruby!’_ Dia caught herself and her hands begin to tremble. She drops the vial and begins to weep.  Ruby rustles awake from the noise. Her eyes opened to see her older sister crying above her.

“Onee-chan?” Ruby reached a hand out to wipe away Dia’s tears. The tears just kept coming and Ruby cupped her hand on Dia’s cheek. Dia held Ruby’s hand. The warmth of Ruby’s hand calmed her. Dia fell on top of Ruby and hugged her.

“I’m sorry Ruby. I’m so sorry.”

“For what onee-chan?”

“I’m such an awful older sister.”

“What are you saying? You’re the best sister I can ever ask for. You’re so amazing at the things you do and I look up to you. I hope someday I can be as elegant as you. I hope to be able to perform my duties as well as you.”

Dia’s crying began to die down with Ruby’s words and comfort. She moved to the side and was beside Ruby in her bed. The two sisters held hands and Ruby leaned in to kiss her cheek. Dia looked surprised at the sudden move from Ruby then returned a soft smile. She began to stroke Ruby’s head and eventually, Ruby would fall back to sleep. Dia’s smile dropped and she just stares blankly at Ruby.

_‘Ruby. Must protect Ruby. Nobody harms her. She belongs to me and no one else. Ruby. My Ruby. ME! She… is….mine!’_

Dia gets up and off the bed gently. She looks for the vial of poison and finds it near the nightstand. Once she picks it up and left the room, she was off to perform the task that was given to her. The family was dealt with and the bodies were disposed of. The report was a suicide by the family. One detail that was not mentioned was that one body was missing when the knights went back to check. They assumed something dragged it off and went on their ways.

Dia was disinterested in the rest of her work growing up. She performed and completed everything with a stone look. The only times she showed her emotions was with Ruby. In her mind, Ruby was the only person worth showing her emotions to.

“I love you Ruby.”

“Hehe, I love you too onee-chan.”

_‘Ruby~, Ruby~, Ruby~!’_

**4 Years Ago:**

The Queen was sick and forced to lay in bed for the past couple of days. Most of the duties have been passed onto Dia and Ruby for the time being. The maids did the usual check up to make sure she was okay before leaving. Moments after they left, Dia appeared from behind a bookshelf. She walked up to her mother with those cold dead eyes she has whenever she speaks to her. There was a small, sinister smirk that wasn't noticed by her mother.

“Has the deed been done?”

“Yes.”

“oough kouugh…Perfect. Everything is going to quiet down now.”

“Yes.”

“By the way Dia, your choice for the Commanders are spot on.”

“Thank you mama.”

“I was surprised ooough…when you chose Matsuura when she was so young but it all paid off. I was surprised to hear Tsushima did what she did all by herself. So it was only oooaack… natural that she’d become a commander. Sakurauchi is invaluable as a healer so no brainer there. Watanabe and Takami came from former commander recommendations. Ohara and Kunikida were good choices with what they bring. And the Kazuno’s are great from what I heard.”

“Yes, I promoted them all because I sensed that they would be something special.”

“Heh, it seems like the future is set with our new young commanders.”

“Yes.”

“ooouuugh koouuack…. Hand me some medicine and water would you.”

“Yes mama.”

“Everything is set for you and Ruby to aaaaarrcckkk.”

“Yes, everything is set mama.”

“Aaaaaaaccckkkkk…what…..aaaaccck..is this?”

“I’m getting rid of those that stand in Ruby’s way to rule. Just like you asked mama, heheheheheh.”

“Aaaa…..arrrrkhhghghh.”

“It’s okay mama, nobody can hear you scream and struggle. It’s just us two keheheheh. You are unneeded now mama. You are useless to us. I’ve been waiting for this day for oh so long. The day I finally rid of the biggest nuisance to Ruby and me.”

“Aaaaaarrck….you….”

“Yes, I’m a tool, but I’m needed to protect Ruby. You aren’t needed because you currently occupy that which Ruby must inherit. It’ll be okay. People will mourn you, but they’ll forget about you real soon. I watched and learned how you ruled and I intend to fix your mistakes. When people speak of our kingdom, it’ll be about Ruby and not you. It’s funny is it not? How the very tool you made is the very tool that kills you.”

Dia strangles her mother. Her illness doing her no favors as she has little strength to break free from Dia’s grasp. All she could see were the cold eyes and psychotic smile of her eldest daughter. Soon, her vision blurs. The only movement that can be seen was her twitching fingers, her eyes closing, and her last struggle to get air. Dia applies one last choke and finishes the job.

Dia took a step back, head tilted to the side, and observed the scene to which she caused. The pleasure of killing her mother gave her a quick jolt through her body. She straightens her head and leans to her mother. Closing her mother’s eyes all the way and getting near her ear, Dia whispers teasingly:

“Guess whose queen now.”

Dia gets some makeup off the vanity and covered her dead mother’s neck with it. She straightened everything out to make sure it looked like a natural passing. Once her job was done, Dia slipped out of the secret passage she entered with.


	5. It Begins

“Hrraaaahh! Hah….hahh….haaahhh” Dia awoke from her slumber panicked at her dream. Beads of sweat dripped from her head onto her covers.

“O-Onee-chan? What’s wrong onee-chan?” Ruby asked as she woken from the sudden outburst from her older sister.

“Nothing, sorry, just…a bad dream.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Just…just go back to sleep Ruby. I apologize for interrupting your sleep.”

“Well, I think it’s time for us to wake up for our duties today. You have a stroll with Kanan-chan today, so you should get ready soon.”

“I do? …..Oh, right, I do. Then let’s get this day started Ruby.”

The sisters got up from bed and Ruby made her way to her room through the side door that Dia got installed. It was for safety reasons so Ruby could immediately get to Dia and vice versa without the need to going through the hall. Dia took a deep breath before wiping some sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.  A knock came on Dia’s door and Dia affirmed to let the maids come in to help get her dressed for the day.

Kanan arrived early and was waiting by the stairs to the second floor. Several knights came by and asked Kanan for confirmation on their patrol assignments. Once confirmed, they made their way to their stations. Shortly after they broke away, Dia came down with assistance from her maids. Kanan stared wide-eyed at Dia, who wore a burgundy colored, cotton velvet dress. It had gold trims on the sleeves and linings with lace on the back.

“Hmmm?” Dia looked at a stunned Kanan, confused as to why she just stood there.

“I-I-I, you-you, ummm….look…well..you…” Kanan struggled to get out a compliment from being mesmerized by Dia’s beauty. She looked down hiding her embarrassment. Kanan then heard a whistle and looked over to see her knights give her a thumbs up. They laughed and Kanan pointed to tell them to get to work.

“Ahem.” Dia grew a bit impatient with Kanan’s antics this early in the day.

“Huh? Oh, sorry, good morning Princess Dia.”

“And a fine morning to you too Kanan-san. I hope we’ll be doing something productive today other than staring at each other.”

“Yes, yes, but of course. Should we head out for our stroll?”

“Yes. Please lead the way.”

Kanan escorted Dia out of the castle and through the front courtyard. Passing knights bowed whenever Dia and Kanan came through. Dia observed everything that went on in the front of the castle. _‘Let’s see, we should get new flowers and bushes. Some more color would be nice. Ruby would love some pink flowers, so I should speak to a gardener about that. The fountain area looks okay. The rest spots are in good shape too. I should get someone to do a touch up on the statues. Should have someone check the gate area too.’_ A sudden suggestion from Kanan broke her from her thoughts.

“How about we head to the side streets? You haven’t been there in a while I assume.”

“Good point. Let’s go then.” Dia smiled as she replied to Kanan.

They walked down the side streets in the western part of the kingdom. Dia looked around, taking note of the conditions of the housing and buildings. Kanan looked over to Dia and saw her busy in thought. She wanted to say something to start a conversation, but decided to let Dia do what she was doing.

Kanan stuck an arm out and stopped Dia. She looked to Kanan puzzled at the sudden stop. Kanan pointed to the left and there were a few carts coming through the intersection. The drivers waved at the two and they returned the greeting.

“I felt like we didn’t have to do that.” Dia said, feeling like they could’ve saved time by going on ahead instead of waiting.

“No, but it doesn’t hurt to wait. Besides, I get to see what cargo those carts were delivering.”

“That’s smart actually.”

“You think so? Well, I picked up some things being your personal guard and all.” Kanan scratched her head, a little happy about the compliment. The slightly awkward silence continued with Dia observing the kingdom and Kanan trying to find a way to break the silence.

They followed the curve the side street had and reached Food Street. The name was given because of the numerous food stalls that are set up along the street. Really popular for guests and it leads to the square at one end, so it’s easy to get to. Making their way through the street, several people came up to talk the two. While others simply greeted and were happy to see the couple.

“Morning your majesty and Commander.”

“Ah, morning, what brings you two to our humble streets?”

“Morning Commander Kanan and….wah…yo-your majesty!”

“Princess Dia! How are you doing this fine morning?”

Kanan laughed at the sudden attention they were getting as they entered the busier parts of Uranohoshi. Dia took her time and greeted each person that greeted her. The sudden declarations of Dia being present sent the food stalls to a frenzy. Each owner began to work hard to create delicious food, hoping the smell would get Dia’s attention. Kanan continued her escort of Dia and stopped at one stall.

“This one here should be good for a quick morning meal.”

“Good morning good ma’am, I’ll like something for my protector and myself.”

“On the way Princess.”

“Idiot!” A slightly bigger woman came out and slapped her worker on the head. “This is her royal majesty ordering. Get the freshest, most recent finished pie we got.” The assistant rushed to the rack of pies and took two from the far end and placed them on plates.

“Here your majesty, a morning pie to start your day. It’s a bit smaller than the standard pie since it’s meant for breakfast. Please enjoy.”

Kanan took the plates with forks and the pies and handed one to Dia. They cut into the pie with their forks and gravy poured out. They made sure to get a bit of everything before eating it.

“This is veil is it not?” Dia said in a surprised tone.

“Yes your majesty.”

“It’s tender. The spices give it enough heat, but not too much. The way you cut it made it easy to pick them up and eat. The eggs are light and they all go pretty well with this smooth gravy you made. The crust is nice and flaky. This is a delicious dish.”

Kanan nodded her head as she ate hers. The owner was jubilant at the critique and high fived her assistant. She took a peek at the other stalls to see them all accept their defeat and gave a cheeky smirk.

“Thank you for the food. Have a good day you two.” Kanan gave them few silver coins, more than what was normally charged for a piece of their pies.

“No problem Commander Matsuura!”  The owner uttered in joy. “And may you two have a good day too.”

The morning continued without much of a hitch. Kanan showed Dia around different parts of the town. Kanan would throw in some remarks about improvement to some areas and Dia would take a mental note of the suggestions. The kingdom was fairly well maintained for the most part. The poorer parts of town weren’t all that poor. Dia ensured that when she spent some of the royal funds to renovate the poor parts of Uranohoshi once her mother died. So poverty wasn’t a major issue in their kingdom.

The only issue was that Kanan wanted it to be more than just the usual. All the time they’ve spent together as of late has been the same; just work. They don’t talk about much outside of that. At the beginning, Kanan could talk about all kinds of things with Dia, but now it feels like she can’t find something engaging to talk to Dia about. It’s even more difficult with Dia not seemingly interested and trying to start a conversation herself. The only thing Kanan could go by was Dia’s expressions. From the onset, everything looks fine and Kanan made sure to take a quick peek at Dia to check on her mood.

Dia’s mood however dropped the moment she passed a jewelry store and saw a ruby ring on display. Her thoughts went back to her nightmare from last night. Images flashed through her mind of her past. She had a small frown on her face and moved her hand over it to prevent people from seeing. _‘Ruby. I must make this kingdom perfect for Ruby. She’s all that matters.’_ Her brows were furrowed and it was noticed by Kanan. Kanan began to worry and tried to think of ways to improve her mood. She wasn’t quite sure what was wrong and the growing silence began to stress her out.

Some people took notice of the air between them and began to chatter about the problem. Kanan’s pace picked up as she sees and hears more chatter among the streets. Are they worried about Dia? Are they worried that Dia isn’t pleased with how the kingdom is? Are they talking about my relationship with her? Kanan couldn’t pick up on the topic with her mind forming one question after another.

She decided it was enough and grabbed Dia’s hand and ran to a more quiet and secluded area. The moved snapped Dia out of her thoughts. She wanted to ask Kanan what was wrong but decided to let it be. They arrived to a small grass patch near an old housing complex. Kanan steadied her breathing and took a look around to make sure the area was clear of any ears that could pick up on them.

“Dia?”

“Is there a problem?”

“You seem, a bit distracted today. Did you not enjoy our stroll?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“I’m sorry, all we really talked about was work and beyond that, I didn’t really think of anything interesting to have a conversation about.

“Do not worry about it. I was fairly quiet on my end.” Dia shrugged off worry of Kanan’s.

“Is there something on your mind? It looked like you were deep in thought just a moment ago. It might help if you talk to me about it?” Kanan continued to press, wanting to help whatever way she can.

“Nothing really. Let’s just continue.”

“I’m worried about you Dia. You take on so much responsibility you might just work yourself to death.”

“I said that everything is fine Kanan-san.” A sterner tone emerged.

“Okay. But you know, we’ve been together for so long now, I can tell that something is wrong. I’m worried about you and I wish to make you feel better.”

“You do?”

“I do.” Kanan answered, failing to notice the slight coldness in Dia’s voice.

“No one asked you to.”

“I’m doing it on my own accord. I really love you Dia.” Dia’s eyes widened from the statement. Kanan continued to spout on about her love for Dia and Dia’s mind began to go away. Away to a very dark place.

_‘Love? What love? There is no love. Only…a hindrance…one that would….get in the way of my goal.’_

“So I was hoping that maybe someday, we could get married. We don’t have to do it quickly. Just whenever you are re….” Kanan turned around and froze on the spot. “Uh..uh..um..Dia?”

Dia glared at Kanan. A look Kanan rarely saw from her. It felt like the air was sucked out from her. She just stood in place, trying to speak, but no words could form. Dia walked past Kanan and made her way back to the castle without as much as acknowledging Kanan. Kanan just stayed in place, confusion on her face, her mind running through what could have gone wrong in those few moments. She walked out into the empty street in a daze, not noticing an approaching figure.

“Kanan?”

“Wh-what?” Kanan turned to the right to see Yoshiko approach her with a concerned look.

“You look like you seen a ghost or something.”

“Not a ghost unfortunately.”

“Then what?”

“Yoshiko, I think I fucked up”

“Hold that thought, let’s go get a drink then.” Sensing the tense mood, Yoshiko figured a good drink could help.

“Yeah, that…that sounds good right now.”

The two close friends went to the nearest pub. A loud welcome greeted them when they made it through the door, but was quickly silenced when Yoshiko raised her hand forward. Kanan went to a back table where nobody could hear them talk while Yoshiko got the drinks. Kanan sat in somber, looking down on the floor, not sure what she done wrong. She failed to notice Yoshiko arrive until Yoshiko slammed the mug down in front of her.

“So, what did you fuck up on?” Sipping a bit of her drink first.

‘D….a”

“What?”

“Dia”

“You pissed off Dia?” Yoshiko remarked, quickly picking up on the topic.

“I think so.”

“You think?”

“I’m not sure. Everything was alright, then some things were said, and then….she looked mad.” A hint of confusion can be sensed from Kanan’s words.

“What you say?”

“I told her I wanted to marry her.”

“Pffff…ack..kack.. you did what?!”

“I told her I wanted to marry her.”

“And she was angry?”

“She shot me a pretty mean look.”

“Wow, okay. I kind of figured that you two would get married someday, but she responded to you like that?”

“I kno~w. I’m not sure if I said something wrong, or maybe I should’ve built the mood up better.” For a brief moment, it looked like Kanan was starting to relax compared to before and Yoshiko made sure to keep the mood going.

“Did you compliment her? Another drink here!”

“I stared at her dress. One for me too!” The two watched the waitress arrive with more drinks and walk away before they continued their conversation.

“Bad start from the get go. Should've said something.” 

“I doubt she be mad about me not complimenting her dress." Kanan hunched down over the table, swirling her cup around before looking over to her friend.  "Plus, its not like you did any better when you picked Riko-chan up for the dance.”

“Sh-shut up! .....M-Maybe she doesn’t want to marry you right now? Maybe she has so much going on, the thought of marriage kind of made her..you know…”

“That’s possible. But how would I know that it’s a quiet time and she isn’t loaded with work? Ruby and her are queens.”

“Princesses. For some reason they kept their princess moniker and didn’t change it to queen. Of course they both can’t be queens at the same time, so one has to be ruler.”

“You know what I’m trying to saying. Uuugghhh! What am I to do~?”

“Let her cool off. I’ll say it was a misunderstanding and bad timing. You’ve been with her the moment she chose you as her protector. I’m sure you two can talk this out. Maybe try to pick a better time and place for your all important proposal. Asking it during a stroll to assess the kingdom in the day isn’t exactly an opportune time.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“As always. You should have more faith in my abilities.” A bit of confidence shot from Yoshiko.

“No, you’re not always right. And I do have faith in you. Just not in regards to personal matters. Thanks for the drinks, I’ll think of something to apologize with and try something different. See ya.”

“Bye…………..Marriage huh?”

Yoshiko leaned back on her chair and looked up to the ceiling. She closed her eyes and thought about the prospects of marriage and what that would mean for her and Riko. A smile rose on her face as her mind played through images of their ceremony, living together, having children, and growing old together. _‘Yeah, not bad. I’ll look into it sometime in the future.’_

The day turned into the evening and something weird was happening. There was smoke coming from a house near the Food Street. Some people walked by and knocked on the door to see if anybody was home. It’s not abnormal for smoke to come from a home, but this one was coming out of the window and not the chimney. Someone went to report it and knights arrived at the scene moments later.

“Excuse me! Is anybody home?” A knight knocks on the door repeatedly, concerned at the possible danger.

“Excuse me! Is there anybody home?” She peeks through the window to see the more smoke coming from the kitchen side of the house. She looks over to her fellow knights and they signaled that they should forcefully enter the home.

“Excuse me ma’am! If you do not respond now, we will enter your home and check out the situation of your kitchen! .......... Alright, we’re moving in!”

The civilians moved away as the knights gathered. One backed away a few steps to get some room to kick open the door. As she was about to kick, a clang could be heard.

“Hmmm?” Then an explosion erupted from the home, sending anybody near it flying. The civilians screamed and began to run around in panic. Children cried from the sudden scary sound. Some of the knights were injured from being in close proximity of the home. The uninjured knights tried to calm the civilians down while getting their own out from danger.

Sarah and Kanan arrived minutes later to the scene. They saw fear in the eyes of the people and some knights were getting treated for burns and wounds. The fire has spread to nearby homes and people were evacuating from nearby houses. A captain saw them and ran to them.

“Captain. Give me a report.” Sarah requested.

“Ma’ams. There was a strange smoke coming from this house here. Some knights went to investigate and apparently no owner was present. The smoke got worse and they decided to try to kick the door down to investigate. Before that happened, the home exploded and injured those near the origin point. The debris from the explosion and the flames got to nearby homes, resulting in the fire spreading.”

“Continue evacuating the residents of the nearby homes. Get those fires out! Find any nearby mages that know a water spell if any!"

“Ma’am!”


	6. What's Missing?

**Two days before the explosion**

**Kiyozaki Kingdom:**

“When can I crush some enemies?! It’s boring!” A muscular knight yelled out from her seat at a table. Her fellow knights looked at her momentarily before returning back to their business, though they weren’t doing anything of note.

“Just cool it would you Gytha? I’m trying to make sure my nails are pretty.” Remarked a rather fashionable knight with medium length, curly hair. “Damn, I’m out of nail polish.”

“We have more important matters at hand Roxie! And why do you always use times like these to do whatever the hell beauty treatments you do?” A knight with brown hair and knee length battle dress approached and picked up the nail polish bottle.

From the other side of the table, a calmer knight with long black hair sat, looking to the ceiling. “No use getting mad Natalie. Just roll with it. It’s better to stay relaxed. No wasting energy."

“Luna, that relaxed attitude will get you killed some day.” From the window, the final knight in the room with blonde hair turned around and approached the table. She pulled her chair with her leg and kicked it into position at the table before sitting down. “You should also stop being so high strung Natalie.”

“Shut it Faye! I’m just making sure we’re all prepared should something happens.”

“Why~? It’s no use right now.”

“Huuhh. Food. Should eat some now.” The black haired knight began to reach for some fruit before another arm cut her off.

“Ah, good thinking Luna.” The muscular knight reached for some fruit at the table and scarfed them down. As she was eating, Luna stared at the much bigger knight. Her eyes wondered from the fruit to the eater. Faye watched Luna stare at Gytha. A slight twitch was noticed by Faye and Luna began to reach for her dagger. Faye reached over to stop Luna from doing something rash.

“Faye, let me do this. It’s for the honor of the fruit.” She struggles to free her arm from Faye’s grasp.

“Hahahah! Your daggers will do no harm to me. Arrrffhh… this is good.”

“Let me do your nails Natalie, we all know you need it.”

“Excuse me?!”

“You’re lacking a bit in fashion, but no worries. I’ll make sure you’re the talk among the women on Kiyozaki.”

“I’ll be the talk all right when I drag your body around the kingdom for your behavior!”

The bickering between the five knights continued for a while. It got to the point they didn’t notice another woman walk into the room. The woman had reddish amber hair and a black dress adorned with jewels. She slowly approached before clearing her throat loud enough for the five ladies notice.

“What is it no….w….ah….YOUR HIGHNESS!!! Faye yelled out, quickly alerting the others as they rush to get lined up. Natalie wiped some food off Gytha’s face, and checked on Roxie to make sure she was in line with the rest. She stepped forward and spoke.

“We apologize for the unsightly display you just witnessed my Queen. If you feel like punishment is necessary then don’t hold back for it was our fault for not behaving like the proper Commanders you had wanted. We..!”

A hand was held up by the Queen to stop Natalie. She walked towards her commanders as they awaited for instructions from her. Natalie was visibly stressed. Luna kept her distant stare on the Queen. Faye remained stoic though she was probably more worried about Luna wanting to stab a certain someone. Gytha stood like a rock and not wanting to show weakness as the queen approached. Roxie tried to position herself somewhat behind Gytha should anything crazy happens.

The queen walked towards the knights and soon past them and took a seat at the table. She signaled them to join her, as to which they all did. She looked into the eyes of her five commanders then to her hands, looking at the palms and back repeatedly. The silence was heavy and nerve-racking. Gytha looked ready to burst and say something stupid. Faye wasn’t entirely sure, but she believes Luna might be falling asleep with her eyes still open. Natalie was about to speak up again before the queen shifts herself on her seat to be a little more comfortable.

“Before you speak Natalie, I’m not mad at you all bickering to the point that you didn’t notice little ole me enter the room. Me, the queen! I’m sorry if I was a bother.” There was a hint of a playful tone behind her reprimand. She puts a foot up on her seat and leans to her left.

“Now, tell me, why is it that I, Queen Diane Rhoslyn, called you five here today?” She raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her cheek which was resting on the arm rest of the chair.

“To praise us?” Gytha answered unsurely. Roxie slaps her back as hard as she could though it hurt her more than it did Gytha.

“Ouch! What the fuck are your shoulders made of? Hell no she ain’t here to praise us!”

“Awwwww, I like praise.”

“You’ll be praised when you fall to my blade you food stealer.” Luna said in a cold manner with her dagger pointed to the culprit.

“Sorrrryyy. Here, I’ll give you a pear. You like pears the most right?” She hands over a big pear to Luna to which she accepts. Luna looks at the child like look on Gytha’s face before looking down at the pear. She takes a bite of it and puts her dagger away.

“You are forgiven my friend.”

Though it lacked much emotion, Faye could tell Luna meant it. She smiles and looked over to a sweating Natalie. They both locked eyes and Faye just shrugged her shoulders which didn’t really help.

“You all are really cute.” Diane reached over and rubbed Luna’s head, adoring her beautiful black hair. Playing with a few strands as the light scent whiffs pass the queens nose. “I called you all here to inform you all that I think it’s time to make a few moves in our efforts to claim Uranohoshi. Though we won’t be making any major moves yet, we need to make sure some pieces are in place beforehand.”

“Of course your highness!” Natalie perked right up hearing the Queen was ready for some action. “What do we need to do?”

“Well~, Luna, I need you to send some of your women to a certain location.”

“Yes, they shall be as swift as the shadows.”

“Faye and Natalie will patrol the border and keep an eye on the neutral towns near the location I’ll send you later.”

“Ma’am!”

“Roxie and Gytha, there seems to be trouble with some bandits, take care of them. Keep them alive if you can, they could have a good use later for us.”

“Raaaahhhh! Finally some action!”

“Hoooohh.” Roxie replied weakly as she didn’t want to be on pest duty or be with Gytha.

The five commanders emptied the room to perform the tasks given to them. Diane shifted her gaze out the window. She walks over to it and leans out the window before taking in a deep breath and observes her people among the streets of her kingdom. Peaceful is a good way to describe the overall feel of the kingdom. Everyone is hard working and doing their part, but there’s something beneath it that can cause issues. Something that Diane has no problem getting rid of if she sees fit. She smirks and looks towards the north.

_‘I love my people and kingdom, but I want more. Someone like me should be able to rule all the lands. Uranohoshi shall be first to fall before me. Yet, I feel like I’m missing something from having an advantage over them. What is it? What can it be?’_ Diane crosses her arms and steps back. She bites down on her lip, trying to figure out her predicament. Soon, she shelves the question for later and walks out the room. _‘Hmph, maybe something will pop up while those five are out on their missions.’_


	7. For Now

What caused the explosion was a mystery as the last of the fires were extinguished. Chika and You arrived to help out and were eventually sent to investigate the surrounding area for any clues. Sarah and Kanan searched around the remains of the house where the explosion originated from. They picked through remains of the furniture of the house, hoping something survived the flames but to no avail.

The search soon arrived to where the kitchen was supposed to be. Dark markings on the ground confirmed their earlier report that this was where the suspected explosion originated. Sarah furrowed her brows, trying to figure out how this could’ve happened. Explosives normally would set off quickly but this one seemed to have been burning for a while before it went off. Then, her nose picked up something near the area where the cabinet was.

“What’s that smell?”

“What smell?” Kanan approached where Sarah was. She takes a whiff and picks up a scent.

“You smell it now right?”

“Yeah, this smells like….. grain?”

“A grain bomb perhaps.” Sarah deduced the possible cause and is now thinking through the possibilities of how the bomb came to be.

“How can a bomb be made in this house if the owner has been away for a while?”

“This more than likely was set up beforehand.”

“What? The owner planted the bomb and ditched?”

“Not possible. The bomb was lit earlier today probably. Which would mean someone snuck into this home and planted it.”

Sarah ran her hand across the ground and felt what seem to be traces of a fuse. It wasn’t much but it felt like fibers that were weaved together. She places her hand over her chin and went into thought while Kanan stood with her arms crossed.

“Sarah-chan! Kanan-chan!” Chika and You returned from their investigation. The looks on their faces told the story as they couldn’t find anything that could lead them to a possible culprit.

“Hey, what are you thinking about Sarah-chan?” Chika asked seeing that Sarah remained in her position the entire time.

“……”

“Let’s not bother her Chika-chan. She’s probably figuring out how this all happened.” You assured Chika and pulled her a few steps back to let Sarah be.

“So nobody knew anything?”

“Nope. We looked and asked around and no one recalls seeing anything suspicious in the area.”

“Almost like this was planned ahead of time or someone with good sneaking skills managed to get in and out without anyone noticing.”

“A ghost maybe?” Chika answered from the top of her head earning her a questionable look from Kanan. “Ahahaha...heh..uh maybe not.”

“I think I got it!” Sarah shot up and exclaimed to her companions as they all turned to her with anticipation of what Sarah thought of.

“Okay, so this was no doubt a grain bomb that went off. The smell gives it away. So now the question is, how did it get there? Whoever did this was no amateur. They have to have gathered enough grains and confine it into a closed space to build up the pressure from the heat and energy built up from the fire. I’m guessing that the vessel for the bomb has to be large enough for there to be a big explosion but not too large for the culprit to carry.”

“A big bomb would be noticed right away. So did the culprit gather the materials over time?” You asked.

“Yes. I looked closer to the point of origin and look at how the soot is spread over here.” Sarah walks the others over to the cabinet area and points out the explosion point. Upon closer inspection they noticed that there was more than one ring.

“Multiple bombs!” Chika loudly answered.

“Not only was there more than one, it was carefully set up to where they spontaneously explode to make it seem like there was only one. A fuse was used to start up the bombs. This gave the culprit enough time to leave. But how come no one noticed? It must be because there was enough length of the fuse before it came into contact with the bombs. The fuse was lit and the heat from it burning was captured into the vessels for all that energy to build. Then once there was too much energy for, boom.”

“I see. A grain bomb needs build up for it to explode. A regular one would go off immediately, so enough room must be given for the bomb to go off so we can’t pinpoint exactly when it was lit.”

“Correct Kanan, but from what we’ve seen and heard, the fuse was lit sometime this morning. We need to report this to the queen and everyone else. We have to find out if anyone suspicious wondered around here in the morning.”

The four commanders hurried to the castle to inform Dia what they found. They were met by Yoshiko, Riko, and Leah who were guarding Dia and Ruby when it was reported that an explosion happened. After hearing their findings, Dia ordered Sarah and Leah to lead a group to investigate.

The next few days became a bit of a woman hunt as Sarah, Leah, and their group went around the kingdom trying to get whatever information they can get. In the area where the explosion happened, they were meticulous to make sure they can get anything on anybody that went past the house or approached it.

Little useful information turned up that could help with their search. What was apparent was that Dia and Kanan’s little stroll together was possibly the distraction that was needed to plant the bomb. The sisters returned home and Leah tiredly sat down in the kitchen. She let out a long sigh, mainly from the lack of anything that can point them to who did it.

“Nee-sama, it feels like we’re not getting anywhere.”

Sarah leans on the counter, piecing together the bits of information they got. There’s no way they can guess who the culprit was, but at least they have an idea of how they did the bombing.

“The most we can figure out was that it was most likely lit in the morning when everyone was distracted from Princess Dia and Kanan-chan being in the area. They used the opportunity to sneak in and lit the fuse. Most likely she was waiting for the home owner to leave before she started to plant the bombs.”

“Which means she staked out the home for a while and figured out when the owner would be away. But still, to be able to do all this without anyone noticing is a feat to itself.”

“Or maybe….” Sarah stopped midway, coming up with another possibility.

“Or maybe?” Leah repeated, wanting to know what her sister came up with.

“We’re gonna need to keep close tabs on the area for a while. Leah, get a few of our scouts and assign them to watch over the area around the explosion site.”

“Yes, Nee-sama.”


	8. More Than It Seems

Yoshiko walks along her home street as part of her patrol. Things seem calm, but there was still talk about the bombing. The events from a few days ago was definitely a shock to the citizens, but any concerns were quelled with how much effort they put in to search for the criminal. The strong belief they have on the knights shows how reliable they are and this reliability was instilled by Dia herself. She made sure all the knights within the kingdom were proud and did everything to the best of their abilities.

Yoshiko’s uneventful morning patrol was interrupted when a messenger ran to her and requested her presence in the throne room. She hurries over to the throne room, by her standards, and was met with a glare from Riko. The others were already there and were waiting for her arrival. Yoshiko gave a wry laugh and rubbed her head as she gave an apology trying to come up with an excuse as to why she was late.

No time for it was given when Dia told them the reason why she called them here. Apparently there have been bandit activities in the town of Rentara out west near the forest. It was never much of a problem but all of a sudden there’s been an increase in their activities. It started out as just taking goods, supplies, and whatever came along in carts on the road. Then they started to attack people and Dia fears more people will get hurt. Dia wants to put a stop to the bandits and she’s wants to send two commanders over to do it. Yoshiko quickly volunteers, wanting some action since it’s been a while. Riko was surprised at how quickly Yoshiko volunteered before she regained her senses and asked to go too.

“Ooohhh, you’re going to be alone with Yoshiko-chan aren’t you?” You teased Riko.

“Wh-wha, that’s not it! It’s important so….I should go. To keep Yocchan in check.”

“By being all lovey dovey with her right?” Chika joined in on the teasing.

“This isn’t a date may I remind you two. Our citizens are in danger so I expect you to save them.” Dia said to end the teasing, though it sounded like she was poking fun at Riko and Yoshiko too.

“Of course. No foolish group of mortals shall go unpunished for terrorizing the good people of our lands. We’ll take care of it.” Yoshiko said with confidence. They were about to set out when someone else wanted to join in.

“Can I join in? Zura.”

“Huh? There’s no need for three commanders to take care of bandit problems, Zuramaru.”

“Well~, we can’t be sure right? If people are hurt then Riko-chan would be busy tending to their injuries, zura. Then that’ll leave only you to fight them off. I think it’ll good if I was there also, zura.”

“Hanamaru-san might be right. We don’t know how large this group is and it’s possible there will be more injured civilians and knights when you arrive. Hanamaru-san will join also.

“Thank you, zura.”

Hanamaru quickly ran to the couple and joined them on the trip. Riko looked at Hanamaru, wondering why she would say that all of a sudden. She made good points but Yoshiko and herself would be more than enough for bandits, plus the knights stationed there too. Also, it’s been a while since the couple had a mission by themselves. The three got on their horses and made their way out.

There was a noticeable slouch in Riko’s posture as they headed towards the town in question. Yoshiko picked up on Riko’s deflated mood and slowed her pace to check up on her girlfriend. Not paying attention, Riko yelped and shock when she finally noticed Yoshiko was really close to her face. The look on Yoshiko’s face made Riko realize she was making Yoshiko worry.

“Riri? Is everything alright?”

“O-of course Yocchan. Why would there be something wrong?”

“Well it seems your mood has gone south like you’ve been cursed with some bad luck or something. It’s like there are rain clouds above you or something.”

“Really?! I’m….I’m sorry. It’s just that…….u….an…me” Riko began to mumble her words as she tries to explain why she wasn’t in a bright mood. Yoshiko puffs her cheeks and studies Riko’s face. Then a thought came across her mind.

“Ah, don’t tell my most special person wanted to spend alone time with me on this trip. You wouldn’t be thinking of such sinful things despite the perils that await us would you?” A cheeky smile arose on Yoshiko’s face and Riko began to blush harder. The teasing continues on for a few minutes and she doesn’t know if she could take anymore of Yoshiko’s teasing. Before Riko could retort, Yoshiko’s horse suddenly jerked and makes her fall off into the ground.

“Pfffft..” Riko snickers at the sudden turn of events. She moved close to Yoshiko’s horse and pets her. “Good girl.”

“Damn horse, you’re supposed to be on my side!” Yoshiko yells while trying to get the dirt off her armor. Riko continues to laugh as she gets off her horse to help Yoshiko. Hanamaru turns around and looks a bit disheartened from the lack of focus from her two companions.

“This is why I suggested going too, zura. You two together would be distracted with one another. Hurry up, we have to make haste or more people will be hurt.”

“Soooorrryyy.” The couple replied and they got back on their horses and hurried to their destination.

Two days has passed and the three knights finally see their destination ahead. Some noticeable barricades have been put towards the west of the town. No doubt to help protect from the bandits. There were a few guards around the entrances of the town looking weary from the attacks.

Seeing the commanders, hope appeared on their faces as one went into the town to announce their arrivals. Entering the town, the commanders were immediately met with the townsfolk as they pleaded and begged them to rid them of their troubles. Riko did what she could to calm the masses. It had some effect, but after getting through one group, more would just gather around them.

Making their way through as quickly as they could, they soon arrived to the town’s hospital. Going inside, they were greeted by the captain knight in charge of the protecting the area. She gave the commanders a rundown of their trouble with the bandits. From what was gathered, the bandits have attacked more frequently than they have done before. There seems to be more organization and their attacks would vary from going after caravans to people who stray too far from the town to an outright assault to the town. There have been a few civilians that have been kidnapped.

Soon, the captain knight walked the three commanders through the hospital. The scene was awful, so many injured knights and civilians. Yoshiko was bothered by the scene as something wasn’t adding up in her mind. Riko immediately went around assessing the injuries and helping out wherever she can. Hanamaru kept asking questions to the captain about anything else that could help them.

“Okay, I think it’s time we go hunt down these bandits, zura.”

“Yes, the vile beings that think they can spread terror in this realm shall be punished by my spear.”

“To the forest it is then. Let’s go!”

“Hold on Riko-chan.” Hanamaru suddenly stopped Riko before she could step out.

“What is it?”

“I think you should stay behind on this one, zura.”

“What!?”

“They need you here more. There’s a good number of them injured and with the lack of medical supplies thanks to the attacks, it’s vital that you help them.”

“But, I need to come help fight.” Baffled and angry that she has to stay behind. Riko didn’t take on this mission just to stay back and heal people. Her frustration started to cloud her mind. _‘Why?! Why?! Why?!’_

“Zuramaru is right Riri. We can handle ourselves. These people can die if you’re not here to help them recover.” Yoshiko took her hands and clasped them over Riko’s. She shot her a soft smile to which Riko loosened up and returned a smile of her own.

“…….Fine. I’ll stay. Stay safe you two.” Riko said as she watched Yoshiko and Hanamaru leave for battle. A nurse came up behind Riko and asked if she was ready to help out some more with the healing. Riko affirmed and began the treatments.

Yoshiko and Hanamaru talked about how they should approach the bandits within the forest. While talking, Hanamaru noticed a knight calling her over from an open stand between two buildings. Her eyes narrowed, wondering what the knight could want. She told Yoshiko to go on ahead while she takes care of it. Yoshiko was okay with it and told her that she’ll wait near the forest.

At the entrance to the forest, Yoshiko stood around and observed the area. Dead patches of grass, no doubt from frequent use. There are broken planks of wood and other materials lying on the road. What appears to be blood lays splattered on some spots on the ground. Placing her hands on her waist, Yoshiko paced back and forth. Thinking something is off; she pondered what the bandits can really want outside of just random attacks. They kidnapped a few people for what? More organized? Attacks but leaves without doing major damage to the town?

“What the hell are they trying to accomplish?” She spoke to herself, still pacing around. “And what’s taking Zuramaru so long?”

“Hey~, sorry I’m late Yoshiko-chan.” Hanamaru finally arrives, waving while running towards her partner.

“Was it really that important?”

“Sorry. The knight was really worried and I had to ensure her that everything would be alright, zura.”

“I guess that’s important. Can’t have our knights worried or it’ll spread to the people.”

“Exactly, zura. Shall we go?”

“Yep.”

The mission begins as Yoshiko and Hanamaru enter the forests. It was relatively clear near the exit and easy to see with not as many trees. There are a few pathways from regular visits, but nothing that really standouts. The forest was quiet, but faint sounds from the trees can be heard as if they felt a presence. The grass rustles from the two knights making their way through. Stops every now and then were made to check for any signs or clues of where to go.

They continue to progress deeper into the forest and began to see signs of the bandits. Trails of blood can be seen on the ground. Destroyed carts and cargo lay among the ground. Something shiny caught Yoshiko’s eyes and she peeked near the root of a tree to see what it was. She finds a bloody knife and calls Hanamaru over. Inspecting it, they find that the knife had an engraving. “Deiectionem” 

“Deiectionem?”

“Wonder why it would be engraved with this? Zura.”

“This means purge right?”

“Yes, but purge what?”

“Whoever these bandits think they are, they think they’re some gods apparently.”

“Strange that they would think that way, zura.”

“No matter, these lowly mortals will be punished soon.”

They get up and continue their search. Something was noted by Hanamaru when they began walking; she wondered why there aren't any animal sounds. You would normally hear animals or insects in a forest like this, but it’s devoid of it. As the thought came up, a stench enters their senses and alerts them from their thought. Looking around to find the source, the two moved around to see where the smell got stronger. Eventually, they pick up the trail and follow with noses covered. Soon, they see what the source of the stench was. There were carcasses of dead game, deers and boars. Many of which have been cut open and harvested. The site disgusted Hanamaru as she wonders why people would do such things to these animals. Yoshiko wasn’t looking too pleased herself as she walked around. Hanamaru kneeled down and prayed for the animals to find peace and move on from this world. 

While Hanamaru was praying, Yoshiko saw a figure in the distance and called for Hanamaru. She told Yoshiko to give her a quick second. Yoshiko shook her head and went on. As soon as the figure became clear, Yoshiko felt a slight surge in emotion. Once she got near the figure, her feeling was confirmed. The figure was the body of a dead woman. Nearby were more bodies, no doubt the missing villagers. Stab wounds and rope marks show they were all either stabbed to death or strangled. But there was one body in particular got Yoshiko’s attention. 

“Damn them!” Yoshiko voiced in anger. The body of a young child was among the dead. She walked up close to examine the child. When suddenly she heard something snaps under her foot. “Shit!” Multiple bombs dropped in front of Yoshiko as she tried to take cover as fast as possible. Gas came out from the bombs, so Yoshiko covered her mouth and nose. She turns to run but knives were thrown in front of her, stopping her momentum. An arm reaches out from behind her and grabs her leg. 

“Damn! Let go!” Yoshiko puls her spear out and looks behind to find a robed person within the gas holding her leg. She stabs the enemy in the back, but in doing so she gets hit in the back with a dagger. Yoshiko gets enveloped by the gas, as she swings her spear around to clear the gas away. She feels her eyes burn and runs in any direction to get away. 

“AHHHH!” A sudden cry from Hanamaru stops Yoshiko. 

“Zuramaru! Are you okay?!” She turns around, ignoring the slight burning her eyes feel to see more robed figures walking towards her. “Who the hell are you?!” They don’t respond and draw their weapons. Yoshiko grits her teeth with the impeding danger she faces. She gets ready to charge in before a bomb gets thrown near her. _‘Gas? No wait!_ ’ The sudden black smoke indicated that it was an explosive. Yoshiko backsteps as quickly as she could but the force of the bomb knocks her back into a tree. Shaking her head to regain her orientation, Yoshiko looks around for a way back to Hanamaru. “ZURAMARU! ZURAMARU!” Yoshiko screams, hoping to get a response from her close friend. Yoshiko gets back into her stance seeing the mysterious group approach. _‘Fuck! I’ll need to get through them then if I want to make sure Zuramaru is okay.’_ Yoshiko takes one step before she loses her balance. _‘What!?’_ Her vision gets blurry and she feels her body is weakening. Hunched over on the ground, her arms and legs have a noticeable twitch. She struggles back up to her feet, telling herself to get up. The group of enemies see their opening and charge in.

“Kill her!”

Yoshiko gets into her battle stance as best as she can with her senses affected. With her spear tucked between her right arm and body and her left hand forward, Yoshiko got ready to engage. “Heh, kill me? You’ll die trying.”

 


	9. Where I Should've Been

“Commander Sakurauchi?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering; you and Commander Tsushima are dating right?”

“Ummm, yes we are? Is something the matter?” The question caught Riko off guard for a second as she was healing an injured knight. She answered confusedly, not really sure why that question was asked in a situation like this.

“Oh no, I was wondering why you didn’t go with her since you two are going out.”

“Aha…ahaha.., it’s because there’s a greater need for me here. You all are having trouble because of the lack of medical supplies right? So it was decided that I need to be here to help out.”

That answer was partly true. Yes there was a dire need for Riko’s skills in Rentara. Yes there wasn’t really a need for three of them to head off to hunt the bandits. And yes, Riko also thought it was weird why Hanamaru would step in and go with Yoshiko all of a sudden. She wants to spend some time with Yoshiko despite being with each other a lot outside of their duties. It’s just they don’t get assigned to the same missions as often as Riko would’ve liked. Knowing Yoshiko as she does, she wants to be there should Yoshiko get hurt or decided to do something outrageous. She wants to be by Yoshiko’s side no matter what. She wants to keep people from trying to lure Yoshiko away from her.

“If it was me, I wouldn’t really trust someone else in keeping my girlfriend safe from harm.”

“….huh? What? I…I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening for a bit.” Riko’s thoughts were interrupted from that statement. It seemed the nurse has been talking to Riko for a while, but she was too wrapped up about Yoshiko she wasn’t paying attention.

“It’s alright. I’m just saying that with what you see here, can you really just let her go off under someone else’s protection?”

“……..someone else? No no no, Hanamaru-chan is a good friend and she’s well respected among us. She’s really smart and knows how to assess situations to come up with the best plan of action. I know she’ll do everything she can to keep her and Yoshiko-chan from harm.”

“Ooookay, if you all trust each other that much then so be it. There’s some more hurt over here, you can take a break whenever you need it commander.”

“Thanks, I’ll rest a bit after this group.” Trust. It is no lie that the nine commanders of Uranohoshi have complete trust in one another. They’ve been together long enough to know each other’s quirks, work ethic, beliefs, and more. But when it came to more sensitive matters, that’s just something that’s different.

 For one, Riko knows Mari is in love with Kanan. But, it’s a futile effort as Kanan and Dia are together. It’s painful to see someone you love, love someone else. There will always be this distance between her and Kanan no matter what Mari does to close the gap, and yet she doesn’t push the issue of taking Kanan from Dia. Thinking on it, would Mari ever do such a thing? Dia being the princess make matter even more complicated, even if Mari was a noble.  That trust, that belief in the fact that Kanan and Dia will be happy together and fit for each other, leaves Mari in the shadows. Yet, she’s still able to face them despite the fact.

“Wait.” Riko thought. “Could it be…?” She thought more about what has happened so far. Hanamaru volunteering out of nowhere then suggesting to go into the forest with Yoshiko. Could it be? They were close friends back at the academy, but they both stated that that’s all there is between them. Unless, it’s not true for one person. Maybe Hanamaru does love Yoshiko. It would make sense for her opportunity to be lost when Yoshiko and herself were assigned into a unit together while Hanamaru was assigned to another. Is Hanamaru trying to take Yoshiko away?

“No no no no, you can’t think like that Riko. She’s not that type of person.” Riko claps her face between her hands a few times to stop with her negative thoughts. This was no way for her to act. Why this all of a sudden though? It must be from the earlier conversation she had. Just the thought of Yoshiko being with someone else, makes her mind race to different conclusions. Yoshiko is her’s. So why?

“Wait, am I being………….possessive? Heheh, this really isn’t like me. This is shameful for someone who bears the commander title like me.” Riko snaps out of her funk and continues her treatment of the injured. Wrapping up injured areas, healing up cuts, cleaning infected areas, treating burns, it seems to never stop. As soon as Riko finishes one, more are introduced. From knights to adults to elderly to even children, there were a lot more injuries then Riko had initially thought. It got stressful and tiring as Riko is exhausting herself from the continuous treatments she has to perform.

After what felt like an eternity, Riko finally was able to take her break. She sat down at a table near the entrance with a cup of tea in hand. Several staff members of the hospital ran around, carrying whatever supplies they had available to various rooms and patients. New patients were brought in while those who were deemed healthy enough had to leave to make room. It’s a bit chaotic with the few staff members that were there. They were definitely being stretched thin here.

Looking out the window, Riko can see the citizenry doing what they can to live through their predicament. Adults are working and scrounging up what they can use to help rebuild what was damaged from the bandits. Children are always with their parents or guardians to protect them. The stress from the fear is taking its toll. It’s like life in the town has slowed down and is slowly being sucked out of them. Having to live in constant fear not knowing if you’ll be attacked or the next one kidnapped is no way to live.

Riko knew that they need to handle this as soon as possible. If this town is subjected to any more attacks, the morale in Rentara is bound to plummet and civil problems can arise. Knowing she can’t rest for too long and she can’t focus on Yoshiko’s safety the entire time, Riko gets up to treat the rest of the injured. The nurse from earlier momentarily stops Riko and asks Riko if she could help make some medicine from the supplies they had left. Riko agreed to help and headed to an apothecary room to mix up some medicine. A commotion from outside stops her and Riko tries to see what was going on.

The hospital door opens with more force than normal and Riko rushes to the front suspecting danger. What she saw shocks her as a hobbled Hanamaru came in. Hanamaru had cuts on her arms and parts of her armor have some tears. She had some blood coming from her mouth and she’s clutching her waist. Blood was dripping from the hand that was holding her waist. Riko rushed towards Hanamaru.

“What happened Hanamaru-chan?”

“We…were…ambushed.” Hanamaru panted as she answered, fatigued from her fight and escaping all the way back to town.

“What about Yoshiko-chan?”

“I’m not….sure. We got…..separated, zura.”

“Separated? You didn’t try to find her and bring her back?” Riko’s worries from earlier reemerged. She looks over to the nurse she was with most of the time then back to Hanamaru. She trusted Hanamaru to take care of Yoshiko. Hanamaru suggested all of this and this is what she does in return?

“I tried. But there was a lot more of them then we had anticipated, zura. I figured the best thing to do was get back here and call for backup.”

“………”

“I trust that Yoshiko-chan can hold out for backup to arrive, zura.”

“Trust?” Riko mumbled the word, looking down in frustration of the current events. Her instincts told her not to linger on it too long and her body immediately jumped up and ran out the hospital. The nurse hurries to Hanamaru to treat her. She tells the others not to worry and helps Hanamaru into a private room. Meanwhile, Riko runs to the town entrance rallying every knight that’s available to fight. Her tone was different, more commanding and more urgent. It had a small affect that can go a long way down the road. With all the knights gathered at the front, Riko gave the orders.

“We’re taking care of these bastards once and for all! We’ll charge in there and eliminate every one of them with no mercy! They have terrorized Rentara long enough. Show your pride as knights of Uranohoshi, no more cowering in fear! Today we free Rentara!” A gleam in the eyes of all the knights can be seen. Slowly, they all are instilled with a steely determination that they can accomplish the task set forth for them. Their postures straightened up and some started beating on their breastplates. Riko sensed their fire and calls them to move out.

“Follow me! Today is our day!” Riko mounts her horse and heads out first with the rest trailing behind her. The stampeding of horses was heard throughout the town with the citizens watching the knights, hoping for their success. The group enters the forest, Riko with a purposeful look and one thing on her mind. _“Don’t worry Yocchan. I’ll save you no matter what! ”_


End file.
